Bible: Zech 9-14

The Coming of the True King

9:1An oracleof the wordof the Lordconcerning the landof Hadrach,1with its focuson Damascus:2

The eyesof allhumanity,3especially of the tribesof Israel, are toward the Lord,9:2as are those of Hamathalso, which adjoinsDamascus, and Tyre4and Sidon,5thoughthey consider themselves to be verywise.9:3Tyrebuiltherself a fortificationand piled upsilverlike dustand goldlike the mudof the streets!9:4Neverthelessthe Lordwill evict her and shoveher fortifications6into the sea– shewill be consumedby fire.9:5Ashkelonwill seeand be afraid; Gazawill be in greatanguish, as will Ekron, forher hopewill have been dried up.7Gazawill loseher king, and Ashkelonwill nolonger be inhabited.9:6A mongrelpeople will live inAshdod, for I will greatly humiliatethe Philistines.9:7I will take awaytheir abominablereligious practices;8then those who survivewill become a community of believers in our God,9likea clan in Judah, and Ekronwill be like the Jebusites.9:8Then I will surroundmy temple10to protect it like a guard11from anyone crossing backand forth; so no onewill cross overagainstthem anymoreas an oppressor, fornowI myself have seenit.

9:11Moreover, asfor you, because of our covenantrelationship secured with blood, I will releaseyour prisonersfrom the waterlesspit.9:12Returnto the stronghold, you prisoners, with hope; todayI declarethat I will returndoublewhat was taken from you.9:13Iwill bendJudahas my bow; I will loadthe bow withEphraim, my arrow!17 I will stirup your sons, Zion, againstyours, Greece, and I will makeyou, Zion,18 like a warrior’ssword.

9:14Then the Lordwill appearabove them, and his arrowwill shoot forthlike lightning; the LordGodwill blowthe trumpetand will sallyforth on the southernstormwinds.9:15The Lordwho rules over allwill guardthem, and they will prevailand overcomewith slingstones. Then they will drink, and will become noisylikedrunkards,19fulllike the sacrificial basinor like the cornersof the altar.209:16On that daythe Lordtheir Godwill deliverthem as the flockof his people, forthey are the precious stonesof a crownsparklingoverhis land.9:17Howpreciousand fair!21 Grainwill make the young menflourishand new winethe young women.

The Restoration of the True People

10:1Askthe Lordfor rainin the seasonof the late spring rains22 – the Lordwho causes thunderstorms– and he will giveeveryoneshowersof rainand green growthin the field.10:2Forthe household gods23have spokenwickedness, the soothsayershave seena lie, and as for the dreamers, they have disclosedemptinessand give comfortinvain. Thereforethe people set outlikesheepand become scatteredbecausethey have noshepherd.2410:3I am enragedat the shepherdsand will punishthe lead-goats.

Forthe Lordwho rules over allhas brought blessingto his flock, thehouseof Judah, and will transformthem into his majesticwarhorse.10:4Fromhim will come the cornerstone,25the wall peg,26the battlebow, and everyruler.2710:5And they will belike warriorstramplingthe mudof the streetsin battle. They will fight, forthe Lordwill be withthem, and will defeatthe enemy cavalry.28

10:6 “I (says the Lord) will strengthenthe kingdom29of Judahand deliverthe peopleof Joseph30and will bring them back31becauseof my compassionfor them. They will beas though I hadneverrejectedthem, forI amthe Lordtheir Godand thereforeI will hear them.10:7The Ephraimiteswill belike warriorsand will rejoiceas ifthey had drunk wine. Their childrenwill seeit and rejoice; they will celebratein the things of the Lord.10:8I will signalfor them and gatherthem, forI have already redeemedthem; then they will becomeasnumerousasthey were before.10:9Though I scatter32them amongthe nations, they will rememberin far-off places– they and their childrenwill sprout forth and return.10:10I will bring them backfrom Egyptand gatherthem from Assyria.33I will bringthem tothe landsof Gileadand Lebanon, for there will notbe enough room for them in their own land.10:11The Lord34 will crossthe seaof stormsand will calmitsturbulence. The depthsof the Nilewill dry up, the prideof Assyriawill be humbled, and the domination35of Egyptwill be no more.10:12Thus I will strengthenthem by my power,36 and they will walkabout37 in my name,” saysthe Lord.

11:4The Lordmy Godsays this: “Shepherdthe flockset aside for slaughter.11:5Those whobuythem39 slaughterthem and are notheld guilty; those who sellthem say, ‘Blessedbe the Lord, for I am rich.’ Their own shepherdshave nocompassionfor them.11:6Indeed, I will nolongerhave compassiononthe peopleof the land,” saysthe Lord, “butinstead Iwill turn every lastpersonoverto his neighborand hisking. They will devastatetheland, and I will notdeliverit from them.”

11:7So I40 began to shepherdtheflockdestinedfor slaughter, the most afflicted41of all the flock. Then I tooktwostaffs,42callingone“Pleasantness”43and the other“Binders,”44and I tendedtheflock.11:8Next I eradicatedthe threeshepherdsin onemonth,45for I ran outof patiencewith them and, indeed, they detestedme as well.11:9I then said, “I will notshepherdyou. What is to die, let it die, and what is to be eradicated, let it be eradicated. As for those who survive, let them eateach other’sflesh!”

11:10Then I tookmy staff“Pleasantness” and cutit in two to annulmy covenantthat I hadmadewithallthe people.11:11So it wasannulledthat very day, and thenthe most afflictedof the flockwho keptfaith with me knewthat thatwas the wordof the Lord.

11:15Againthe Lordsaidto me, “Takeup once morethe equipmentof a foolishshepherd.5111:16Indeed, Iam about to raise upa shepherdin the landwho will nottake heedto the sheep headed to slaughter, will notseekthe scattered, and will nothealthe injured.52Moreover, he will notnourishthe one that is healthybut instead will eatthe meatof the fatsheep53 and tear offtheir hooves.

11:17Woeto the worthlessshepherd

who abandonsthe flock!

May a swordfall onhis armand his righteye!

May hisarmwithercompletely away,

and his righteyebecome completelyblind!”

The Repentance of Judah

12:1The revelationof the wordof the LordconcerningIsrael: The Lord – he who stretchesout the heavensand lays the foundationsof the earth, who formsthe humanspiritwithina person54 – says,12:2“Iam about to makeJerusalem55a cupthat brings dizziness56to allthe surroundingnations; indeed, Judahwill alsobe includedwhen Jerusalemis besieged.12:3Moreover, on thatdayI will makeJerusalema heavy burden57for allthe nations, and allwho try to carryit will be seriously injured;58yet allthe peoplesof the earthwill be assembledagainstit.12:4In that day,” saysthe Lord, “I will strikeeveryhorsewith confusionand its riderwith madness. I will pay close attention tothe houseof Judah, but will strikeallthe horses59of the nations60with blindness.12:5Then the leadersof Judahwill say to themselves, ‘The inhabitantsof Jerusalemare a means of strengthto us through their God, the Lordwho rules over all.’12:6On that day61I will makethe leadersof Judahlike an igniter62among sticksand a burningtorchamong sheaves, and they will burn upallthe surroundingnations rightand left. Then the peopleof Jerusalemwill settleonce morein their place, the city of Jerusalem.12:7The Lordalso will deliverthe homes63of Judahfirst, so thatthe splendorof the kingship64of Davidand of the peopleof Jerusalemmay notexceedthat of Judah.12:8On that daythe Lordhimselfwill defendthe inhabitantsof Jerusalem, so thatthe weakestamong them will be like mightyDavid, and the dynastyof Davidwill be like God, like the angelof the Lordbeforethem.6512:9So on that dayI will setout to destroyallthe nations66that comeagainstJerusalem.”

12:10 “I will pourout onthe kingship67of Davidand the populationof Jerusalema spiritof graceand supplicationsothatthey willlooktome,68 the one theyhave pierced. They will lament for himasone lamentsforan only son, and there willbe a bittercry for himlike the bittercry for a firstborn.6912:11On that daythe lamentationin Jerusalemwill beas greatas the lamentationat Hadad-Rimmon70in the plainof Megiddo.7112:12The landwill mourn, clanby clan– the clanof the royal householdof Davidby itselfand their wivesby themselves; the clanof the familyof Nathan72by itselfand their wivesby themselves;12:13the clanof the descendantsof Leviby itselfand their wivesby themselves; and the clanof the Shimeites73by itselfand their wivesby themselves–12:14allthe clansthat remain, each separatelywith theirwives.”

The Refinement of Judah

13:1 “In that daythere will bea fountainopenedup for the dynasty74of Davidand the peopleof Jerusalem75to cleanse them from sinand impurity.7613:2And also on that day,” saysthe Lordwho rules over all, “I will remove77thenamesof the idolsfromthe landand they will neveragainbe remembered. Moreover, I will removetheprophetsand theuncleanspiritfromthe land.13:3Then, ifanyoneprophesiesin spiteof this, his fatherand motherto whom he was bornwillsayto him, ‘You cannotlive, foryou liein the nameof the Lord.’ Thenhis fatherand motherto whomhe was bornwill run him through with a sword when he prophesies.78

13:4 “Therefore, on thatdayeachprophetwill be ashamedof his visionwhen he prophesiesand will no longerwearthe hairygarment79of a prophet todeceivethe people.8013:5Instead he will say, ‘Iam noprophet– indeed, Iam a farmer, fora manhas made me his indenturedservant since my youth.’8113:6Then someone will ask him, ‘Whatare thesewoundson your chest?’82 and he will answer, ‘Some thatI receivedin the houseof my friends.’

The Sovereignty of the Lord

14:1A dayof the Lord87is aboutto comewhen your possessions88 will be dividedas plunderin your midst.14:2For I will gatherallthe nationsagainst Jerusalem89towage war; the citywill be taken, its housesplundered, and the womenraped. Thenhalfof the citywill go into exile, but the remainderof the peoplewill notbe taken away.90

14:3Thenthe Lordwill go to battle91 and fightagainst thosenations, just as he foughtbattlesin ancientdays.9214:4On that dayhis feetwill standonthe Mountof Oliveswhichlies to the eastof Jerusalem, and the Mountof Oliveswill be splitin halffrom eastto west, leaving a greatvalley. Halfthe mountainwill movenorthwardand the other halfsouthward.9314:5Then you will escape94through my mountainvalley, forthe mountainswill extend toAzal.95Indeed, you will fleeasyou fledfrom the earthquakein the daysof KingUzziah96of Judah. Thenthe Lordmy Godwill comewith allhis holy oneswithhim.14:6On thatdaythere will benolight– the sources of lightin the heavens will congeal.9714:7It will happenin oneday(a day knownto the Lord); notin the dayorthe night, but in the eveningthere will belight.9814:8Moreover, on that daylivingwaterswill flow outfrom Jerusalem,99halfof them tothe easternsea100and halfof them tothe western sea;101it willhappen both in summerand in winter.

14:9The Lordwill then bekingoverallthe earth. In that daythe Lordwill beseen as onewith a singlename.10214:10Allthe landwill changeand become like the Arabah103from Gebato Rimmon,104southof Jerusalem; and Jerusalemwill be raised upand will stayin its own placefrom the BenjaminGatetothe siteof the FirstGate105and on tothe CornerGate,106and from the Towerof Hananeltothe royalwinepresses.10714:11And people will settlethere, and there will nolongerbe the threat of divineextermination– Jerusalemwill dwell in security.

14:16Thenallwho survivefrom allthe nationsthat cameto attackJerusalemwill go upannuallyto worshipthe King, the Lordwho rules over all, and to observethe Feastof Tabernacles.11014:17But ifany of the nations anywhereon earthrefuseto go uptoJerusalem111to worshipthe King, the Lordwho rules over all, they willget norain.14:18Ifthe Egyptianswill notdo so, they will getno rain – instead there will be the kind of plague which the Lord inflicts on any nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.14:19Thiswill bethe punishmentof Egyptand of allnationsthatdo notgo upto celebratethe Feastof Tabernacles.

14:20On that daythe bellsof the horseswill bear the inscription “Holyto the Lord.” The cooking potsin the Lord’stemple112will beas holy as the bowlsin frontof the altar.11314:21Everycooking potin Jerusalemand Judahwill becomeholyin the sight of the Lordwho rules over all, so that allwho offer sacrificesmay comeand usesome of themto boiltheir sacrifices in them. On that day there will nolongerbea Canaanite114in the houseof the Lordwho rules over all.